Just one more thing, this book is expected to be completed by the end of this month or the beginning of next month!
☆, Chapter 251 Qin Zhen's Difficult Decision
"What?!"
Seeing the shocked expression on Shi Tou's face, Luo Pipi felt completely relieved. [~] Well, although she greatly admired that unfortunate former king, he had died before she was born, so she wasn't really that sad.
"Although that period of history was deliberately concealed, some inside information was known to nobles like us of that era. It is clear that His Majesty the King fell into someone's trap, but of course, there is no evidence to prove who set the trap now."
“Even without evidence, everyone probably knows the truth, right?” Stone’s tone was somewhat somber: “Whoever is the ultimate beneficiary is the one who set the trap.”
"Yes, that's what everyone thinks, but there's no evidence. Besides, back then, the royal family had the six great families of the East as their biggest backers. To be honest, now, at least half of the Luo Ming Empire is in the hands of the six great families of the East."
Shi Tou sighed. She truly didn't know who to blame for these tragedies. But judging from what Yi Si Yue had said earlier, these should all be the will of the former Goddess of Magic, Irene.
She raised her fist and tapped her forehead in frustration. Everyone said she was the reincarnation of Irene, and she had now accepted it. However, she still didn't understand why, if she and Irene were truly the same person, their personalities were so different.
“Stone, there’s something you need to understand: given the current situation, you probably have no choice but to show up.”
Shi Tou snapped out of his daze: "Why? Just because I'm the second young lady of the Huo family?"
"No, that's not it. It's just that I don't think it will be easy for Yi Siyue to persuade the six major families of the East. I have my doubts. He betrayed you."
Shi Tou stared in astonishment, but after a brief moment of confusion, she suddenly understood. Of course, those old foxes from the six great Eastern families wouldn't allow a junior like Yi Siyue to cause trouble. Even if the power of the six great Eastern families was enough to overthrow the court, they wouldn't act without a reason.
Seeing that Shi Tou didn't respond, Luo Pipi thought for a moment and then changed her approach: "Yi Siyue's background can be kept secret from others, but not from the six great families of the East. Think about it, why didn't they rebel before? Wasn't it because the current king is a descendant of the goddess of magic, Irene? But now? What method will Yi Siyue use to make them turn against her?"
Shi Tou wasn't stupid; she just didn't want to think about certain things. With Luo Pipi's prompting, what was there left for her to misunderstand? A sudden thought struck her: "Yi Siyue wants to use me as bait? Heh heh. Did he even ask my opinion?!"
"You're willing? I'm afraid it's too late now. Since he dared to use you as bait, he must have been prepared. Putting aside everything else, at least you now have no way to get close to the heads of the six major families in the East."
Luo Pipi is right; logically speaking, it's indeed impossible. But the question is, is the stone still the same stone now?
She gave Luo Pipi a beautiful, flirtatious wink, then disappeared into her ring space. She was confident that with her and Luo Pipi's level of understanding, Luo Pipi would understand what she meant.
Outside the ring space, Luo Pipi was bewildered by Shi Tou's flirtatious wink. Watching Shi Tou disappear before her eyes, she suddenly slapped her forehead: "Hehe, it's only fair to return the favor!"
Yi Siyue, who was secretly meeting with the head of the Qin family, the leading family among the six great families of the East, in the capital, sneezed violently. He vaguely sensed that something was amiss. However, he immediately shook his head, dismissing the strange thought from his mind.
Although even he didn't know where Stone was now, judging from the days, Stone hadn't appeared openly in public since leaving the capital. Adding to that the incident in the Moon Goddess Forest, Yi Siyue felt that Stone would probably never return to the Fallen Nether Empire.
Hmph, even if she comes back, I'm not afraid! The capital is already surrounded by his trusted men, and he's given each of them a portrait of Stone. He's confident that as soon as Stone appears, she'll be captured!
Silently adjusting her mindset, Yi Siyue revealed a standard gentlemanly smile: "Elder Qin, this is the information I received. The royal family has really gone too far this time. In order to consolidate their position, they actually went so far as to kill the reincarnation of the Goddess of Magic, Princess Irene! Their behavior is truly outrageous!"
Opposite Yi Siyue, the head of the Qin family had a deep expression, making it impossible to discern his thoughts. However, even a fool would know that his current appearance was far from happy.
The Qin family is the head of the six major families in the East. No matter how much filth there is within the six major families in the East, they have always been extremely united in their dealings with the outside world. As the current head of the Qin family, Qin Zhen has a very high degree of influence among the six major families in the East.
The problem is that the Qin family is currently in a very delicate position. On one hand, the Qin family is the head of the six major families in the East, and when facing major events, the Qin family can be said to represent the entire Eastern family. On the other hand, let's not forget that the current Queen is from the Qin family!
Coincidentally, the queen was the biological daughter of Qin Zhen, the head of the Qin family!
Qin Zhen's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was in turmoil. Previously, Yi Siyue had revealed some information about Yilin's reincarnation to the six major families of the East through various channels, but he hadn't named her. Although clues suggested that person had disappeared, no one knew where she was, or who wanted to harm her.
That day, Qin Zhen met with Yi Siyue at her invitation. Although he knew there was definitely something inside information she had to tell him, he never expected things to turn out this way!
If what Ishizuki said is true, then according to bloodline, Irene's reincarnation is the current king and queen's biological daughter, that is, his granddaughter!
"Elder Qin, I swear on my life that everything I just said is true. Including Princess Irene's background. If you don't believe me, you can use your connections to investigate. I believe there are always clues, and you will definitely be able to find out the truth!"
Qin Zhen felt he no longer cared about the truth; what troubled him now was how to handle his daughter's situation. Sometimes, choosing between two options wasn't so easy.
Although Yi Shiyue appeared calm on the surface, he still had a bad feeling. He felt as if he had overlooked something. He carefully recalled the arrangements made over the past few days, and he felt that nothing should have been missed.
Really not?
Okay, let the stone tell you what you've missed.
In a dilapidated house in the craftsmen's district of Kodak City, Luo Pipi stared dumbfounded at the dressed-up Stone. To be honest, Stone inherited the appearance of her biological mother, the current queen, and because she had practiced the Nine Heavens Shocking Technique, she exuded an astonishing aura.
Originally, Stone was deliberately trying to hide herself, but after she dressed up like this, wow!
Her beautiful features, alluring figure, and imposing aura, like a sharp blade being drawn from its sheath, make it impossible to associate her with the ordinary little girl from a year ago.
"Ahem, if Yi Siyue knew you were a stone, he would go crazy." Luo Pipi was truly impressed by the stone; even the Chu family wouldn't have thought of such a thing as time manipulation.
"I'll blind his dog eyes!" Stone raised his chin, flicked his little finger, and gave him a flirtatious wink.
"You're even more effeminate than Yi Siyue!"
Stone's face instantly darkened: "Pah! Don't associate me with that bastard!"
"So, shall we set off now?"
Stone hesitated for a moment: "Isamu has met you, as well as Linda."
"Then what do we do? Do you want to just throw the two of us away?" Luo Pipi narrowed his eyes dangerously, glaring at Shi Tou with obvious displeasure.
“Actually, you could take Linda to Gergale City.” Gergale City is Luo Pipi’s home, and Stone hopes she can persuade her father, at least initially, not to get involved.
Luo Pipi understood what Shi Tou meant: "Okay, Linda and I will take Liu Liu and those kids with us. I believe they won't suspect anything."
"You'd better not have too high hopes. Yi Siyue isn't stupid. You and I are partners. Since he wants to use me as a tool to break with the royal family between the six major families of the East, he definitely won't let me enter the capital. So, I'm sorry, you've been dragged down by me."
Despite saying that, Stone didn't show any embarrassment on his face. Instead, he looked at Luo Pipi with anticipation.
Luo Pipi didn't disappoint her: "Tsk tsk, you don't mind me saying you're dead, do you?"
"I don't mind, of course I don't mind."
A sinister smile crept across Luo Pipi's face. Since she couldn't hide it any longer, she would go to Gergale City openly. She refused to believe that Yi Siyue would be so audacious as to disregard her identity and come directly to kill her.
“Linda and I signed a master-servant contract, and that can't be hidden from us. So I will terminate the contract with her. That way, it will explain why I died but she didn't.” Stone flipped his wrist, and a contract immediately appeared in his hand. There are two ways to terminate a master-servant contract: one is for the master to terminate it voluntarily, and the other is for a highly powerful magician to forcibly terminate it.
However, the first method is arguably the safest, ensuring that neither the master nor the servant will be harmed. The second method is less certain, as accidents can happen at any time.
The moment the master-servant contract was dissolved, Linda, who was still busy in the kitchen, immediately sensed something was wrong. Not knowing what had happened, she rushed to the bedroom door in a panic: "Miss! Uh, Madam!"
Luo Pipi opened the door and, with Shi Tou's help, explained the situation. Although Linda was still somewhat suspicious, she did not object.
The next day, with enough dry food, Shi Tou hired a horse-drawn carriage, found a caravan heading to the capital, and set off together for the capital.
Hey, you little beauty Yi Shiyue, wait for me! (Your support is my greatest motivation.)
Chapter 252 Encounter with Young Master Han
In this other world, long-distance travel is a real pain, and this time Stone had no close family members with him, so even sneaking a break in his ring space was out of the question. However, caravans, in order to reach the capital as quickly as possible, would definitely travel day and night. Fortunately, Stone's physical condition was good, otherwise he would have been exhausted to death.
Cough cough, even if there is a carriage, it's the same! This carriage was hired by Stone when he left Kodak City. A carriage is bound to be bumpy, and it's not like the Huo family has carefully raised good horses.
In short, Stone felt this was definitely the most awful long journey she had ever had since arriving in this other world. By the time the caravan arrived at the gates of the imperial capital, Stone felt like she was about to collapse.
Entering the city wasn't too difficult, as the caravan Stone was with regularly traveled this trade route, and they entered the city smoothly. However, at the city gate, Stone unexpectedly saw a familiar face.
Strictly speaking, we weren't very familiar with each other; we had only met once.
"Where did this vixen come from? Humph, get out of here!" A coquettish voice rang out from the luxurious carriage next to them, and the person moved to the side as they spoke.
Tsk tsk, Shi Tou picked at the stone and his gaze fell on the person next to him: "Oh~! Isn't this Young Master Han~ Tsk tsk, your taste is truly unique~!"
The man Shi Tou referred to as Young Master Han was Han Shiyi's older brother, the third young master of the Han family. Actually, the first person Shi Tou recognized wasn't him, but the woman beside him, Lin Lan, the third young lady of the Lin family, who was also the older sister of Shi Tou's former fiancé, Lin An.
The third brother compensates the young mistress, oh my~ what a perfect match!
"May I ask your name, young lady? I don't think Han San has ever seen you before." Han San is none other than the third young master of the Han family. Shi Tou had always thought the Han family was quite eccentric; having many children was one thing, but giving them such bizarre names was another.
"Hehe, Young Master Han, you must have a bad memory. It's normal that you don't remember me." Shi Tou smiled slightly. She wasn't very familiar with either Han San or Lin Lan. Moreover, Huo Xiaoxiao was with her at that time, and the people from the six major families of the East all knew about her "background." Plus, she had completely changed her appearance now, so she was sure that neither of them would recognize her.
Han San frowned. By this time, there were fewer and fewer carriages ahead. Just as Shi Tou was about to say goodbye, he heard Han San say in a low voice, "Miss, judging from your appearance, you are also from the Dongfang family. Would you mind joining me at a restaurant in the capital?"
A rich guy is treating?!
Stone hesitated for only a moment before agreeing. Her body had indeed grown, but she still had the appearance of a pure Easterner. In this strange world where Easterners were extremely rare, she would always be an anomaly.
Moreover, Shi Tou had another thought: she wanted to infiltrate the Dongfang family, but she didn't want to go to the Huo family. No matter how her appearance changed, some of her behaviors remained the same, and she didn't want to take any risks.
After jumping into Han San's carriage, Shi Tou politely thanked Han San, but intentionally or unintentionally ignored Lin Lan. It wasn't that she didn't know the rules, but rather that she clearly saw malice in Lin Lan's eyes.
Cough cough, she shouldn't have interrupted their good time, right?
"Miss, you haven't told me how to address you yet, have you?" Han San's carriage was very luxurious and comfortable, and Han San, as the host, even offered him a cup of tea.
Names are always the biggest pain in Stone's heart. How many names has she changed since she came to this other world? After hesitating for a moment, Stone decided that this time she would tell the truth!
"Young Master Han. My name is Shi Tou." Although Shi Tou had never heard of a Shi family within the Dongfang family, she believed no one could refute her. Heh heh, how do you know there isn't a Shi family?
The idea was good, but Stone's luck has never been good, especially when it comes to making up names. Let's put it this way: the names she comes up with are usually based on something extraordinary. Of course, this time was no exception.
"Stone? What a disgusting name! So vulgar." These were the words of Lin Lan, who waved her hand in front of her nose as she spoke, as if the stone had polluted the air inside the carriage.
Stone rolled his eyes at her without hesitation: "Auntie, if you're not feeling well, why don't you let Young Master Han take you home first?" Although the clothing in this other world doesn't have the various rules like in the ancient times of Stone's previous life, there are still big differences between unmarried girls and married women.
"What did you say? You brat!" Lin Lan jumped up, but because she was too excited, her head hit the roof of the carriage with a loud bang.
The carriage slowed down, but at Young Master Han's whispered instruction, it continued to move forward.
"Oh dear, auntie, are you alright? Oh my god, Mr. Han, you really have to take her home!" Shi Tou covered her mouth with her small hand, smiling nonchalantly. Lin Lan wasn't really familiar with her, but their only meeting a few years ago had ended badly. If Lin Lan had encountered a magnanimous person, it wouldn't have been a problem, but Shi Tou was always petty and vindictive, so Lin Lan had no choice but to suffer.
Han San suddenly gave Shi Tou a deep look, and when Shi Tou felt a little guilty, he shifted his gaze to Lin Lan: "Miss Lin, I think you look tired today, why don't you go home first?"
puff!
Shi Tou thought that even if Han San were to send Lin Lan away, he would do it personally, but he didn't expect Han San to kick Lin Lan out of the carriage. Well, this was already the bustling downtown area of the capital, so even if Lin Lan was kicked out, she wouldn't have trouble finding a carriage to go home. It's just that, cough cough, she's really lost face now.
Sure enough, Lin Lan stared at Han San in disbelief. To outsiders, Han San was the kind of gentleman who was gentle and refined, but to those who knew him, he was just asking for a beating!
With a smile, Han San helped Lin Lan down from the carriage and instructed the driver to drive the carriage to the Imperial Capital's Purple Jade Restaurant. Then he sat down opposite the stone, smiling like a Maitreya Buddha.
Shi Tou touched her nose guiltily, but quickly calmed down. Although she wasn't familiar with Han San, she had heard Han Shiyi talk about him quite a bit. In her impression, Han San was a playboy who liked to play around with women. She just didn't know how skilled he was. In any case, although Han San was a master at seduction, very few women spoke ill of him, even those he dumped.